The present invention relates generally to an energy supply system to an object within a pipe, and more particularly to an energy supply system which supplies energy, using a microwave, to a microrobot disposed in a metallic pipe of a heat exchanger or the like that performs operations such as an inspection and repair.
For inspection and repair of a metallic pipe, particularly, a pipe having a small inner diameter (for example, about several millimeters), a microrobot is required for inspection and repair without disassembly. An important problem arising in the realization of such a microrobot relates to the supply of energy for driving the microrobot. That is, since a general wireless energy supply is effected by means of the electromagnetic induction (low frequency), the transmission distance of the energy is limited to some degree (several centimeters) and hence, according to the method of connection between pipes, it is difficult to drive a microrobot when the moving distance from the microwave generating source is beyond several meters. Further, according to a method of coupling the energy generating source through an electric connection to the microrobot, the microrobot is arranged to have a size which allows the movement within a pipe having a diameter of about several millimeters to perform the inspection, repair and the like. On the other hand, in this case, there is a problem that the electric connection is an obstacle to the movement of the microrobot.